1 As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 26, 2000 Registration No. 333- ================================================================================ SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549 ---------------------- FORM S-8 REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 ---------------------- THE CREDIT STORE, INC. (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter) DELAWARE 87-0296990 (State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer incorporation or organization) Identification No.) 3401 NORTH LOUISE AVENUE 57107 SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA (Zip Code) (Address of principal executive offices) THE CREDIT STORE CORPORATION AMENDED 1997 STOCK OPTION PLAN (Full title of the plan) Michael J. Philippe Executive Vice-President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer The Credit Store Inc. 3401 North Louise Avenue Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57107 (Name and address of agent for service) Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service: (800) 240-1855 ---------------------- CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE ================================================================================================================ Proposed Proposed maximum Title of Amount maximum aggregate Amount of securities to to be offering price offering registration be registered registered (1) per share (2) price (2) fee - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Common Stock, 8,000,000 $.001 par value shares $4.234 $33,872,000 $8,942.21 ================================================================================================================ (1) The Registration Statement relates to 8,000,000 shares of Common Stock to be offered pursuant to the Registrant's 1997 Amended Stock Incentive Plan. (2) Estimated solely for the purpose of the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(h)(1) based on the average high and low price per share of the Registrant's Common Stock on July 21, 2000. ================================================================================ 2 THE CREDIT STORE, INC. PART II INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT ITEM 3. INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE. The following documents, previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), are, as of their respective dates, incorporated by reference and made a part hereof: (1) The Registration Statement of The Credit Store, Inc. (the "Company") on Form 10 (File No. 000-28709), as amended (declared effective on April 6, 2000), filed under the Exchange Act. (2) All other reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the effective date of the Registration Statement referred to in (1) above. (3) The description of the Company's Common Stock which is contained in the Registration Statement referred to in (1) above and all amendments and reports filed for the purpose of updating such description. All reports and other documents subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicate that all of the shares of Common Stock offered have been sold or which deregister all shares of the Common Stock then remaining unsold shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in and a part of this Registration Statement from the date of filing of such documents. Any statement contained in a document incorporated, or deemed to be incorporated, by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or incorporated herein by reference or in any other subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement. ITEM 4. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES. Not Applicable. ITEM 5. INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL. Not Applicable. ITEM 6. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS. In accordance with the DGCL, the Company's Certificate of Incorporation provides that the directors shall not be personally liable to the Company or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of duty as a director except for any breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the Company and its stockholders; (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct, or knowing violation of law; (iii) under Section 174 of the DGCL, which relates to unlawful payments of dividends and unlawful stock repurchases and redemptions; or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derives an improper personal benefit. This provision does not eliminate a director's fiduciary duties; it merely eliminates the possibility of damage awards II-1 3 against a director personally which may be occasioned by certain unintentional breaches (including situations that may involve grossly negligent business decisions) by the director of those duties. The provision has no effect on the availability of equitable remedies, such as injunctive relief or rescission, which might be necessitated by a director's breach of his or her fiduciary duties. However, equitable remedies may not be available as a practical matter where transactions (such as merger transactions) have already been consummated. The inclusion of this provision in the Certificate of Incorporation may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against the directors and may discourage or deter stockholders or management from bringing a lawsuit against directors for breach of their duty of care, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise have benefited the Company and its stockholders. The Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Company shall indemnify its officers, directors, employees and agents to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL. Section 145 of the DGCL provides that the Company may indemnify any person who was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party, to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than a "derivative" action by or in the right of the Company) by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgements, fines and amounts paid in settlement in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe was unlawful. Similar standard of care is applicable in the case of derivative actions, except that no indemnification shall be made where the person is adjudged to be liable to the Company, unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or the court in which such action was brought determines that such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to such indemnity and expenses. ITEM 7. EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED. Not Applicable. ITEM 8. EXHIBITS. Exhibit Description ------- ----------- 4 The Credit Store, Inc. Amended 1997 Stock Option Plan. 5 Opinion of Faegre & Benson LLP. 23.1 Consent of Faegre & Benson LLP (contained in Exhibit 5 to this Registration Statement). 23.2 Consent of Grant Thornton LLP. 23.3 Consent of Tanner & Company. 24 Powers of Attorney. II-2 4 ITEM 9. UNDERTAKINGS. A. The Company hereby undertakes: (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement; (i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a twenty percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the "Calculation of Registration Fee" table in the effective Registration Statement; and (iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement; provided, however, that paragraphs (A)(1)(i) and (A)(1)(ii) do not apply if the Registration Statement is on Form S-3 or Form S-8, and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Company pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement. (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. B. The Company hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Company's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. C. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Company pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Company has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Company of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Company in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Company will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. II-3 5 SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of Sioux Falls, state of South Dakota on July 26, 2000. THE CREDIT STORE INC. By /s/ Martin J. Burke, III ------------------------------ Martin J. Burke, III Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer By /s/ Michael J. Philippe ------------------------------------------ Michael J. Philippe Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on July 26, 2000. Signature Title - --------- ----- /s/ Martin J. Burke, III Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer - ------------------------------------ Martin J. Burke, III /s/ Kevin Riordan President and Chief Operating Officer - ------------------------------------ Kevin Riordan /s/ Michael J. Philippe Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer - ------------------------------------ Michael J. Philippe Jay L. Botchman* Director Barry Breeman* Director A majority of the Board of Directors J. Richard Budd, III* Director Geoffrey Thompson* Director * Michael J. Philippe, by signing his name hereto, does hereby sign this document on behalf of each of the above named directors of the Registrant pursuant to powers of attorney duly executed by each person. By /s/ Michael J. Philippe ------------------------------ Michael J. Philippe, Attorney in Fact II-4 6 INDEX TO EXHIBITS Method Exhibit Description of Filing ------- ----------- --------- 4 The Credit Store Inc. Amended 1997 Stock Option Plan.............................Filed Electronically 5 Opinion of Faegre & Benson LLP...................................................Filed Electronically 23.1 Consent of Faegre & Benson LLP (contained in its opinion filed as Exhibit 5 to this Registration Statement) 23.2 Consent of Grant Thornton LLP....................................................Filed Electronically 23.3 Consent of Tanner & Company .....................................................Filed Electronically 24 Powers of Attorney...............................................................Filed Electronically II-5